"Such," added the Prince, "were the Emperor's last observations respecting me two hours before my departure. The individual to whom I have just alluded, spoke truly, my dear Bourrienne. I am indeed sorry to leave France; and I never should have left it but for the injustice of Bonaparte. If ever I ascend the throne of Sweden I shall owe my crown to his ill-treatment of me; for had he not persecuted me by his animosity my condition would have sufficed for a soldier of fortune: but we must follow our fate."
During the three days the Prince spent with me I had many other conversations with him. He wished me to give him my advice as to the course he should pursue with regard to the Continental system. "I advise you," said I, "to reject the system without hesitation. It may be very fine in theory, but it is utterly impossible to carry it into practice, and it will, in the end, give the trade of the world to England. It excites the dissatisfaction of our allies, who, in spite of themselves, will again become our enemies. But no other country, except Russia, is in the situation of Sweden. You want a number of objects of the first necessity, which nature has withheld from you. You can only obtain them by perfect freedom of navigation; and you can only pay for them with those peculiar productions in which Sweden abounds. It would be out of all reason to close your ports against a nation who rules the seas. It is your navy that would be blockaded, not hers. What can France do against you? She may invade you by land. But England and Russia will exert all their efforts to oppose her. By sea it is still more impossible that she should do anything. Then you have nothing to fear but Russia and England, and it will be easy for you to keep up friendly relations with these two powers. Take my advice; sell your iron, timber, leather, and pitch; take in return salt, wines, brandy, and colonial produce. This is the way to make yourself popular in Sweden. If, on the contrary, you follow the Continental system, you will be obliged to adopt laws against smuggling, which will draw upon you the detestation of the people."
Such was the advice which I gave to Bernadotte when he was about to commence his new and brilliant career. In spite of my situation as a French Minister I could not have reconciled it to my conscience to give him any other counsel, for if diplomacy has duties so also has friendship. Bernadotte adopted my advice, and the King of Sweden had no reason to regret having done so.
CHAPTER XXIII.
1810
Bernadotte's departure from Hamburg—The Duke of Holstein-
Augustenburg—Arrival of the Crown Prince in Sweden—
Misunderstandings between him and Napoleon—Letter from Bernadotte
to the Emperor—Plot for kidnapping the Prince Royal of Sweden—
Invasion of Swedish Pomerania—Forced alliance of Sweden with
England and Russia—Napoleon's overtures to Sweden—Bernadotte's
letters of explanation to the Emperor—The Princess Royal of Sweden
—My recall to Paris—Union of the Hanse Towns with France—
Dissatisfaction of Russia—Extraordinary demand made upon me by
Bonaparte—Fidelity of my old friends—Duroc and Rapp—Visit to
Malmaison, and conversation with Josephine.
While Bernadotte was preparing to fill the high station to which he had been called by the wishes of the people of Sweden, Napoleon was involved in his misunderstanding with the Pope,
—[It was about this time that, irritated at what he called the
captive Pope's unreasonable obstinacy, Bonaparte conceived, and
somewhat openly expressed, his notion of making France a Protestant
country, and changing the religion of 30,000,000 of people by an
Imperial decree. One or two of the good sayings of the witty,
accomplished, and chivalrous Comte Louis de Narbonne have already
been given in the course of these volumes. The following is another
of them:
"I tell you what I will do, Narbonne—I tell you how I will vent my
spite on this old fool of a Pope, and the dotards who may succeed
him said Napoleon one day at the Tuileries. "I will make a schism
as great as that of Luther—I will make France a Protestant
country!"
"O Sire," replied the Count, "I see difficulties in the way of this
project. In the south, in the Vendée, in nearly all the west, the
French are bigoted Catholics and even what little religion remains
among us in our cities and great towns is of the Roman Church."
"Never mind, Narbonne—never mind!—I shall at least carry a large
portion of the French people with me—I will make a division!" Sire,
replied Narbonne, "I am afraid that there is not enough religion in
all France to stand division!"-Editor of 1836 edition.]—
and in the affairs of Portugal, which were far from proceeding according to his wishes. Bernadotte had scarcely quitted Hamburg for Sweden when the Duke of Holstein-Augustenburg arrived. The Duke was the brother of the last Prince Royal of Sweden, whom Bernadotte was called to succeed, and he came to escort his sister from Altona to Denmark. His journey had been retarded for some days on account of the presence of the Prince of Ponte-Gorvo in Hamburg: the preference granted to Bernadotte had mortified his ambition, and he was unwilling to come in contact with his fortunate rival. The Duke was favoured, by the Emperor of Russia.